Posts Tagged Kamasi Washington
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April 16, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Ghost-Note: Swagism
Ghost-Note Swagism ROPEADOPE If Kamasi Washington is exploring the Albert Ayler/Coltrane connections in a modern landscape then Ghost-Note is doing something similar with templates created by Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock…which is to say on Swagism they hint at the late-80s/early-90s hip-hop influenced and inflected funk and R’n’B jams of those masters whilst also adhering to the types of grooves Hancock and Jones […]Archive
April 30, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
John Beasley: MONK’estra, Vol. 2
John Beasley presents… MONK’estra, Vol. 2 Mack Avenue/Southbound You can almost hear the gnashing of the teeth of purists – Why do this to Monk? – but though Volume 2 of Beasley’s reworkings of Monk tunes for his own big band is the inevitable mixed bag (opening with Dontae Winslow’s rap on Brake’s Sake is […]Archive
March 20, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Thundercat: Drunk
Thundercat Drunk Brainfeeder The West Coast Get Down collective really made their mark with Kamasi Washington’s triple, The Epic. Famously, the sessions for that album resulted in a handful of other albums – in fact they’re still coming; the group set themselves the goal of wasting no time, so every day they turned up and […]Archive
June 14, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 686
Kamasi Washington, The Epic (2015) I called it pretty early on – decided that it was going to be the best album of 2015 (for me). And then I wrote a review, still sure that it was the towering achievement of that year. I stand by it – of course. No other record meant as […]Archive
February 4, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Thundercat (February 3, Wgtn)
Thundercat San Fran Wednesday, February 3 Thundercat is a freak! He’s got the jazz-noodling from the 70s/80s down pat; he’s like all of your favourite session stars from the fusion era and (slightly) beyond – and all at once. He’s like the best example of the worst nightmare that is the session guys running away […]Archive
October 9, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Win Tickets to Soulfest in Auckland
Soulfest – it’s going to be good, so, so good – I had to give it another plug just recently because I’m so excited about the chance to see Kamasi Washington (given how great The Epic is) but it’s hard picking just one favourite act on that bill. The good folk at the Soulfest have […]Archive
October 3, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Kamasi Washington: The Epic
Kamasi Washington The Epic Brainfeeder Okay, I’m just – now – writing a review of The Epic, the debut full-lengther – TRIPLE ALBUM – by Kamasi Washington. But here’s the thing, back after I first heard it, an advance stream, I declared it the best album of 2015. I’ve done that every year the last […]Archive
July 22, 2015 by Simon Sweetman